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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 792 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 792

Reaffirming the United States commitment to the protection of refugees 
                         and displaced persons.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2016

Mr. Ted Lieu of California (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. 
  Blumenauer, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
    Schiff, Ms. Lofgren, and Ms. McCollum) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Reaffirming the United States commitment to the protection of refugees 
                         and displaced persons.

Whereas World Refugee Day, commemorated on June 20, is a global day to 
        acknowledge the courage, strength, and determination of women, men, and 
        children who are forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, 
        and persecution;
Whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred 
        to in this preamble as ``UNHCR'')--

    (1) there are more than 65,300,000 displaced people worldwide, the 
highest levels ever recorded, including almost 21,300,000 refugees, 
40,800,000 internally displaced people, and 3,200,000 people seeking 
asylum;

    (2) children account for 51 percent of the refugee population in the 
world, millions of whom are unable to access basic services including 
education;

    (3) nearly 4,800,000 refugees have fled Syria since the start of the 
Syrian conflict and more than 6,600,000 people are internally displaced 
within Syria;

    (4) since January 2014, more than 3,300,000 Iraqis fleeing violence 
have been internally displaced, and 228,000 refugees have fled to 
neighboring countries;

    (5) ongoing conflict, violence, and persecution have resulted in the 
displacement of millions across Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine, 
Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Central African Republic, 
and other countries;

    (6) since April 2015, sporadic outbursts of violence in Burundi have 
prompted more than 265,000 Burundians to flee to the neighboring countries 
of Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;

    (7) violent insurgent attacks in Nigeria have forced 220,000 people to 
flee to the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, and have 
internally displaced nearly 2,200,000 people;

    (8) between January and June of 2016, more than 206,000 refugees and 
migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea attempting to reach Europe and 
at least 2,800 women, men, and children have died during such crossings or 
are missing after such attempts; and

    (9) approximately 95,000 women, men, and children, including many 
persecuted Rohingya refugees from Burma, have departed on the boats of 
smugglers in the Bay of Bengal since 2014, more than 1,100 of whom have 
died at sea;

Whereas refugees who are women and girls are often at a greater risk of sexual 
        violence and exploitation, forced or early marriage, human trafficking, 
        and other forms of gender-based violence;
Whereas the United States provides critical resources and support to UNHCR and 
        other international and nongovernmental organizations working with 
        refugees around the world; and
Whereas since 1975, the United States has welcomed more than 3,000,000 refugees 
        who are resettled in communities across the country: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United 
        States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of the 
        millions of refugees, including the education of refugee 
        children and displaced persons who flee war, persecution, or 
        torture in search of peace, hope, and freedom;
            (2) calls upon the United States Government--
                    (A) to continue its international leadership role 
                in response to those who have been displaced, including 
                the most vulnerable populations who may endure sexual 
                violence, human trafficking, forced conscription, 
                persecution, exploitation, hunger, disease, unsafe 
                water and sanitation, or inadequate shelter;
                    (B) to find political solutions to existing 
                conflicts and prevent new conflicts from beginning;
                    (C) to provide humanitarian and development support 
                to countries around the world that are hosting millions 
                of refugees to alleviate social and economic strains 
                placed on host communities; and
                    (D) to encourage the international community to 
                increase resources to address current and protracted 
                refugee crises;
            (3) commends those who have risked their lives working 
        individually and for nongovernmental organizations and 
        international agencies such as UNHCR that have provided life-
        saving assistance and helped protect those displaced by 
        conflict around the world; and
            (4) reiterates the strong bipartisan commitment of the 
        United States to protect and assist millions of refugees and 
        other forcibly uprooted persons worldwide.
                                 <all>
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